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The “huge sense of urgency” to look at whether the English language test used for foreign nurses should be changed in light of recruitment delays has been acknowledged by the Nursing and Midwifery Council as it pledged to explore the issue further.

However, the regulator said it could not confirm when it would reach a final decision about whether the International English Language Testing System should be altered, and stressed it was “not here to solve workforce problems”.

As reported by Nursing Times last week, following its initial two-month “stock take” of the IELTS the NMC found “no compelling evidence” so far that the test was set at too high a level overall. NMC finds ‘no evidence’ so far to lower English language test But at an NMC council meeting this week the body committed to carrying out further work looking at the possibility of reducing the score for just the writing part of the IELTS, which is thought to be more difficult for candidates.

It will also investigate alternative assessments to the IELTS – such as the Occupational English Test (OET) used in countries including Australia and Singapore - which focus more on the clinical aspects of communication.

At the meeting this week, NMC council member Maura Devlin questioned whether the regulator had made it clear how urgent it was for employers that a decision was made soon. ”Certainly our stakeholders have a huge sense of urgency – and some of that relates to the workforce pressures at the moment” Emma Broadbent “Certainly our stakeholders have a huge sense of urgency – and some of that relates to the workforce pressures at the moment,” said NMC director of registration and revalidation Emma Broadbent.

However, she noted that parts of the work would take different amounts of time.“Some elements can be done quite quickly. Things like exploring the possibility of the OET is a much bigger piece of work that would require quite some time,” she told the meeting.

She told the council it would be provided with clear proposals and a timeframe in due course.Jackie Smith NMC chief executive and registrar Jackie Smith later told Nursing Times that the regulator was “fully aware” of the urgency of the situation but noted the NMC was “not here to solve workforce problems”.

“So we need to understand what the workforce pressures are - but we don’t lower our standards to these workforce pressures,” she said. “What we want to do first is make sure we are not compromising public protection. Thereafter we will look to what the solutions are,” she said. Ms Smith said the NMC was committed to working with national bodies such as regulator NHS Improvement and NHS England on the issue to ensure there was a “strategic approach”.

Some employers are able to provide the Overseas Nursing Programme and will arrange to register you to start on the programme upon production of your NMC decision letter, as soon as you arrive in the UK.

If you are interested in working as a nurse in the UK or Ireland.
Please note that you do not need any agent or agency to make your dreams come true, What you need is your IELTS WITH A BAND SCORE OF 7 IN EACH FIELD (speaking, reading, writing and listening).

Many Nurses that came through popular Facebook agencies that are currently suffering in the UK. Many of these agencies end up sending nurses to care homes where they are not been prepared for their OSCE exam, Many Nurses end up using their own money to pay for their OSCE preparation classes and some of this agencies do not keep to their word when it comes to the kind of accommodation they give to our nurses from Nigeria, They are always in a hurry to give you job and bring you over only to put you into serious problems, Some people end up not passing their exams out of frustration.

Today I will be sharing wth you tips that can help you pass your IELTS. If you must pass this exam then you must practice every day, a minimum of 3hrs everyday will help you complete a mock exam containing the major components, 3hrs for 3 weeks will put you in the 18box of your IELTS Tomorrow we will talk about materials and online resources that are sacrosanct to your passing this exam, If you are tired of working with a teaching hospital or FMC, with your private hospital or been enslaved in that state government owned medical center,
don’t travel illegally,
don’t use a visitors visa
Pass your ielts and make the move immediately.
From Nurse Membrane Nwosu